The 10 wildest Eagles stats at the (almost) halfway point originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
How good was the Eagles’ secondary the first half of the season? How unusual was Javon Hargrave and Chauncey Gardner-Johnson’s production? How rare is the Eagles’ rushing success?
Last week, we posted our 10 favorite Jalen Hurts stats from the first half (or 47 percent) of the season. As promised, here’s 10 of our favorite non-Jalen Hurts Eagles stats so far. 🦅
1. With 2.0 sacks against the Steelers and 3.0 vs. the Texans, Javon Hargrave became the first Eagles interior lineman with multiple sacks in consecutive games since Corey Simon in 2004. The only Eagles interior lineman with 2.0 or more sacks in three straight games is Andy Harmon in 1995. Hargrave is the first Eagle at any position with multiple sacks in consecutive games since Connor Barwin had 2.0 vs. the Rams and 3.0 vs. the Giants in October of 2014.
2. In all, Eagles interior linemen had 4.0 sacks vs. the Steelers – 2.0 by Hargrave and one each from Marlon Tuipulotu and Milton Williams – and 3.0 against the Texans, all by Hargrave. This is the first time the Eagles have gotten at least 3.0 sacks in consecutive games from their defensive tackles in 27 years. On Oct. 8, 1995, Harmon had 3.0 sacks in an overtime with over Washington at the Vet, and a week later, Harmon had 2.0 sacks and Kevin Johnson had 2.0 in a 17-14 win over the Giants at the Meadowlands.
3. The Eagles are only the second team in NFL history to be 8-0 despite allowing 5.2 yards per rushing attempt or worse. The 2006 Colts were 8-0 despite allowing 5.3 yards per carry and wound up winning the Super Bowl. The Eagles are also the first team since the 2009 Saints to win four straight games despite allowing 120 or more rushing yards in all four. The last team to win five straight while allowing 120 rushing yards was Washington in 1978.
4. The Eagles’ three turnovers so far match the fewest in NFL history by a team through eight games. The 2017 Chiefs and 2020 Packers also committed three turnovers in their first eight games. Their plus-15 turnover ratio matches the best in franchise history through eight games. The 1950 and 1959 Eagles were also plus-15. Only three teams have been higher in the last 20 years – the 2003 Chiefs (plus-18), 2012 Bears (plus-16) and 2019 Patriots (plus-17). The Eagle are also only the eighth team in history with 12 interceptions defensively and just two INTs offensively after eight games.
5. Chauncey Gardner-Johnson is the first Eagle with an interception in four straight games since Bill Bradley in 1972 and the first Eagle with five INTs in any four-game span since Asante Samuel Weeks 7 through 10 in 2010. He’s the first Eagles safety with five INTs in a season since Greg Jackson had six in 1994 and the first with five INTs the first eight weeks of a season since Bradley in 1975. CJGJ, Darius Slay and James Bradberry are the Eagles’ first trio with three INTs after eight games since 1991, when Rich Miano, Seth Joyner and Eric Allen each had three.
6. The Eagles are now up to 133 points in the second quarter, the most points by any team in any quarter through eight games in NFL history. The previous high for any quarter was the Rams’ 124 points in the third quarter in 1950. The most previously in the second quarter was the 49ers’ 123 in 1948. Curiously, 23 of the 32 teams who’ve scored 100 points in any quarter through eight games have done it in the second quarter. Even though the Eagles rank just 20th with just 28 points in the first quarter, they’re still the NFL’s highest-scoring first-half team at 20.1 points per game, seventh-highest in NFL history through eight games.
7. The Eagles’ 16 rushing touchdowns match the most by any team through eight games since the 2004 Chiefs had 18. The only other teams with more since 1977 are the 1995 Cowboys (18) and 1996 Washington Football Team (17). That’s the Eagles’ most rushing TDs after eight games since the 1949 team had 19.
8. The Eagles are the only NFL team that’s held all of its opponents so far to a passer rating under 80. Last time they held eight straight opponents to a passer rating under 80 was in 1990, when Jeff Fisher’s defense limited 10 teams in a row under 80. Going back to last year, the Eagles have held 11 consecutive regular-season opponents below 80. Last time they did that over multiple seasons was the last seven opponents in 1984 and the first eight in 1985 for 15 straight weeks under defensive coordinator Marion Campbell. For the record, the average NFL passer rating in 1984 and 1985 was 74.8, and in 2021 and 2022 it’s 90.0.
9. The Eagles haven’t allowed more than 239 passing yards this year, the first time since 1991 they’ve held each of their first eight opponents below 250 net passing yards. They’ve allowed just 177.6 net passing yards per game, their lowest after eight games since 1998 (164.9).
10. Counting only points scored against the defense (not returns or safeties), the Eagles have held seven straight opponents to 17 or fewer points, only the fifth time they’ve done that in franchise history. They had a streak of 11 straight games in 1951, seven-game streaks in 1978 and 1979 and an eight-game streak in 2001.
Subscribe to the Eagle Eye podcast
Apple Podcasts | Google Play | Spotify | Stitcher | Art19 | Watch on YouTube
